Fire rages on Leisure lane in a neighborhood near the west end of Bastrop, Texas off Highway 71 Monday September 5, 2011. Fires have been burning through many areas in central Texas as authorities try to gain control of the blazes.

Fire rages on Leisure lane in a neighborhood near the west end of Bastrop, Texas off Highway 71 Monday September 5, 2011. Fires have been burning through many areas in central Texas as authorities try to gain

Planes drop fire retardant on wildfires in the Bastrop, Texas area Monday September 5, 2011.

Planes drop fire retardant on wildfires in the Bastrop, Texas area Monday September 5, 2011.

Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, JOHN DAVENPORT/jdavenport@express-news.net

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Fire rages on Leisure Lane in a neighborhood near the west end of Bastrop, Texas off Highway 71 Monday September 5, 2011. Fires have been burning through many areas in central Texas as authorities try to gain control of the blazes.

Fire rages on Leisure Lane in a neighborhood near the west end of Bastrop, Texas off Highway 71 Monday September 5, 2011. Fires have been burning through many areas in central Texas as authorities try to gain

Smoke drifts across the sky and treelines near Bastrop as wildfires there still burn out of control, Sept. 5, 2011.

Smoke drifts across the sky and treelines near Bastrop as wildfires there still burn out of control, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: Express-News

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A plume of smoke billows across the sky at a roadblock near Bastrop State Park as wildfires continue to burn in the area.

A plume of smoke billows across the sky at a roadblock near Bastrop State Park as wildfires continue to burn in the area.

Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT/jdavenport@express-news.net

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Fires burn near Bastrop, Texas Monday September 5, 2011.

Fires burn near Bastrop, Texas Monday September 5, 2011.

Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT/jdavenport@express-news.net

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Texas Governor Rick Perry (at lectern) speaks to the media, citzens and first responders during a press conference held at the Bastrop Convention Center Monday September 5, 2011. Perry spoke about wildfires in the area and ecouraged Texans to work together.

Texas Governor Rick Perry (at lectern) speaks to the media, citzens and first responders during a press conference held at the Bastrop Convention Center Monday September 5, 2011. Perry spoke about wildfires in

Mark Adams, of Austin, takes a picture of a wildfire in the Paleface Ranch area off State Highway 71 near Spicewood, Texas, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. Adams was trying to get to a house he owns in Marble Falls, Texas but was diverted to the closure of SH71.

Mark Adams, of Austin, takes a picture of a wildfire in the Paleface Ranch area off State Highway 71 near Spicewood, Texas, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. Adams was trying to get to a house he owns in Marble Falls,

Emergency personnel divert traffic off State Highway 71 before Spicewood, Texas due to a wildfire in the Paleface Ranch area, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Emergency personnel divert traffic off State Highway 71 before Spicewood, Texas due to a wildfire in the Paleface Ranch area, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: JERRY LARA, JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net

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The remains of a house destroyed by a wildfire in the Paleface Rancharea off State Highway 71 near Spicewood, Texas, are seen on a bluff, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

The remains of a house destroyed by a wildfire in the Paleface Rancharea off State Highway 71 near Spicewood, Texas, are seen on a bluff, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: JERRY LARA, JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net

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The remains of a house destroyed by a wildfire in the Paleface Rancharea off State Highway 71 near Spicewood, Texas, are seen on a bluff, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

The remains of a house destroyed by a wildfire in the Paleface Rancharea off State Highway 71 near Spicewood, Texas, are seen on a bluff, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: JERRY LARA, JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net

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Wildfire near Bastrop, Texas.

Wildfire near Bastrop, Texas.

Photo: Courtesy Photo Of Caroline Lovern

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A plane lands on Lake Travis, near Austin, to collect more water to fight the fires raging both east and west of Austin.

A plane lands on Lake Travis, near Austin, to collect more water to fight the fires raging both east and west of Austin.

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Emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: JERRY LARA, Express-News

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A utility worker checks out power lines as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

A utility worker checks out power lines as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: JERRY LARA, Express-News

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Emergency personnel content with power lines as they battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. The fire started Sunday afternoon and is estimated that around 25 homes were destroyed according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Emergency personnel content with power lines as they battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. The fire started Sunday afternoon and is estimated that

The remains of a home can be seen in the foreground as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. The fire started Sunday afternoon and is estimated to have destoyed 25 homes according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The remains of a home can be seen in the foreground as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. The fire started Sunday afternoon

Zinsmeister family watches from RM 620 as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. They reside in the subdivision but weren't able to get to their house after returning from a weekend in New Braunfels.

Zinsmeister family watches from RM 620 as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. They reside in the subdivision but weren't able

Emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. Evacuated residents won't be allowed back into the area until Tuesday. Around 25 homes have been destroyed according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. Evacuated residents won't be allowed back into the area until Tuesday. Around 25 homes

A fire flare up is seen as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

A fire flare up is seen as emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: JERRY LARA, Express-News

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Residents and others stand along RM 620 and watch as mergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Residents and others stand along RM 620 and watch as mergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011.

Photo: JERRY LARA, Express-News

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Emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. The fire that started Sunday afternoon was about 20 percent contained by Monday noon.

Emergency personnel battle a wildfire in the Steiner Ranch subdivision in western Travis County, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. The fire that started Sunday afternoon was about 20 percent contained by Monday noon.

Photo: JERRY LARA, Express-News

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More than 600 homes destroyed in Bastrop area

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BASTROP — The most destructive wildfire on record in Texas showed no signs of slowing Monday, destroying 25,000 acres in Bastrop County and more houses than any single wildfire, according to the Texas Forest Service.

With more than 60 new wildfires raging across the state, including one that burned more than 210 acres in Stone Oak, Gov. Rick Perry left the presidential campaign trail Monday in South Carolina to address the public and organize requests for more federal aid.

More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed by the fires, more than all other fires this year combined have destroyed, officials said.

Local fire officials blamed sparks from a San Antonio Water System truck that accidentally caught on fire for the Stone Oak blaze, which burned more than 210 acres in North Bexar County.

The fire began around 1:30 p.m. in a field off Stone Oak Parkway and Evans Road and quickly spread, prompting evacuations at The Abbey at Stone Oak Apartments as well as the Estates at Canyon Ridge apartments, according to the Fire Department and the Red Cross.

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The fire was contained by 5 p.m., and no one was seriously injured, Fire Chief Charles Hood said. Evacuated residents were allowed to return home by 10 p.m. Only one townhouse was reportedly damaged.

On Monday evening, San Antonio and other area fire departments helped battled a grass fire in Selma that burned about 200 acres near the old Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. The fire, which began about 7:30 p.m., charred the area, which Selma Fire Chief Ric Braun called “a big tinderbox of dried vegetation — a fire hazard.”

The fire got near a large apartment complex, and a voluntary evacuation was ordered, but firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze about an hour and a half later, and no one was injured, Braun said.

No injuries have been reported in the Central Texas fires either, but two people were reported killed in an East Texas fire Monday. A woman and her 18-month-old child died when a fast-moving fire near Gladewater set their mobile home on fire and they were unable to escape.

In Williamson County, 500 people were evacuated and at least eight homes were destroyed by a 300-acre fire that began around 4:40 p.m. in Leander, officials said.

The Bastrop County Complex Fire, pushed by strong winds and fed by dry grass, shrubs and trees, steadily moved south Monday and expanded through the day. It jumped the Colorado River twice.

“We will be working days on end,” said Mike Fisher, Bastrop County's emergency management coordinator. “The fire is so dynamic we really have no idea where it is.”

Perry said the fire is “as mean looking” as he's ever seen.

Perry left his presidential campaign Monday in South Carolina to return to Texas and deal with the fire. He said at a news conference that wildfires have claimed 3.5 million acres in Texas since December.

He said FEMA likely would arrive Wednesday and that Texas would seek federal disaster relief. He also said officials were considering seeking military resources from Fort Hood.

The Republican hopeful said it's too soon to tell whether he'll miss Wednesday's GOP debate in California. He added that he's “not paying attention to politics right now. People's lives are at stake.”

The worst yearlong drought on record in Texas has left the state a vulnerable tinderbox. Perry implored all Texans to be extremely careful and to be aware that any spark could start a major fire and endanger the lives and property of others.

Perry urged those facing a fire to follow the evacuation orders because their lives are not worth risking.

The cause of the Bastrop fire, which has destroyed nearly 500 homes, is under investigation, but it is believed to have started in a subdivision north of town. Mandatory evacuations were in effect for several neighborhoods Monday night.

From a gas station on Texas 21, Christopher Humphrey watched as black plumes erupted into a 1,000-foot-high wall of gray smoke that is now the backdrop for the town and the surrounding area.

“Black smoke means a house or car just went up,” said Humphrey who used to be a volunteer firefighter.

Living in Cedar Creek, 15 miles southwest of where the Bastrop fire started, he figured he would be safe and spent Sunday night watching the smoke and occasional flames leap above the tree-lined horizon.

But by lunch time Monday, a sheriff's deputy was knocking on his door, telling him he had an hour to evacuate.

Humphrey grabbed some clothes and loaded his elderly father, two young daughters, two dogs, three horses and a cat onto two trucks and a horse trailer. His horse trailer has two stalls so he had to take his third horse out on a lead.

Except for the two trucks he and his father used to evacuate, he said everything he has is in his trailer home.

He was not alone. As of Monday evening, 13 subdivisions had been evacuated and the power cut to 3,800 homes, according to Bastrop County officials.

Officials couldn't say when the fires will be contained or when residents would be able to return to their homes. Even if they don't lose their homes, many residents might not have power for a while, county officials said. Residents were told to be ready to stay away for several days, at least.

At the Bastrop fire station, exhausted crews were recovering while others were on standby. More than 250 firefighters from around the country have come to Bastrop to help, and more are on the way, the Forest Service said.

Outside the small fire station a homemade sign hung to a memorial, with one word on it: “Pray.”